Cotswold response to Gloucestershire County Council

Release date: 14 March 2016

Cotswold District Council spokesman:

“We are disappointed that the County Council has felt the need to distribute a glossy brochure attacking our unitary council proposal. Unfortunately, the County Council’s brochure, in large part, is based upon wrong and wild assumptions about how the proposed new Council would operate.

We did make the County Council aware of these significant errors and asked them to withdraw the document, which they wouldn’t. We can only, therefore, suggest that Cotswold residents and stakeholders ignore the document.

Importantly, we must reaffirm that the Cotswolds would not be part of any Oxfordshire Devolution Deal.

As to a name for the proposed new council, this has not even been subject to any discussion. It most definitely would not be ‘West Oxfordshire (Cotswolds)’.

However, we do not consider that it is helpful to continue with claims and counter claims at this moment in time, and suggest that we all wait for the detailed study to be completed by the summer. This will then give the public the opportunity to debate the matter based upon facts.

During the study we shall be consulting with major stakeholders in Gloucestershire – including the NHS, Police, County Council and Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). Specifically, we will also seek expert advice on Adult & Children’s care.”